LBPC Contest #9 - Locomotion Commotion

The publishing window is now closed
Thanks to all who've entered, we look forward to playing your levels.

Hiya Sacks and Libits!
Looooooooooooooong time no see, huh?
We're the Contest Crew, back from slumber, back with full force.
*roll drums*
We want to introduce you our new, tireless blood, the awesomeness of SpaceMonkey187, Missi_Cat, and Pookachoo!!!
So, the Contest Crew has its gears in place again, but...wait, what's this noise?

CLICK...RUMBLE...WHIR...

Gears are turning, pistons are pumping and the whole of Craftworld is in motion. Its time for all you dream builders and engineers to take your pencils from behind your ears, sit down at a drawing board and design levels full of fantastical machinery, worlds of perpetual motion, glorious humming, spinning, continuously evolving chain reactions. Amaze us with feats of engineering; make us gasp at your Rube Goldberg-esque inventions, shining, well oiled clockwork or magnificent steampunk contraptions.

In this months contest we want you to create a motion oriented level for your sackperson to navigate.
The catch? All obstacles must be influenced by each other starting from a singular power source.

An example to help explain the concept: A singular motor bolt turns a cog which turns a series of other cogs, platforms connected to the cogs allow for player progression while causing constant level motion as they will always be moving. The cogs could then transform into a piston sequence (like a steam engine) which could in turn power further obstacles. However don't think your just limited to spinning things, the more creative the locomotion the better.

It must be a playable level so we don't want to just put down our controller and watch!

Building requirements

 The level must start with either a motor bolt, wobble bolt, piston or winch which will act as a power source.
 You may only have one power source in the level.
 The power source must be set to "visible".
 The portion of the level including the moving mechanics must be visible at all times.
 All additional obstacles need to be powered kinetically through chain reaction.
 All interactive obstacles need to be in some kind of motion at all times.
 The player cannot directly interact with buttons or switches, but may use any power-ups to do so from a distance.
 Every power-up is allowed, though we request the Creatinator to be equipped only with the standard projectiles
 No level links
 As a guideline levels should be 5-10 minutes long and, as always, we favour quality over quantity.
 Because of the very nature of the contest requirements, it will be frowned on if you emit/destroy the power source.
 No controllinators / player controlled Sackbots
 No mid-level cutscenes. You may have a short intro cutscene.

How to enter

 Build a level before the deadline that fits the contest description and building requirements.
 Include the text (LBPC9) in the title of the level. Dont forget to add things like a nice looking badge, some tags, and a concise level description.
 Publish your levels in the 10 day period between 12.00AM GMT on 22nd October and 11:59PM GMT on 31st October 2012. Please note this is a change from previous LBPC contest rules.
 Post LBP.me links to your levels in this thread, so were sure not to miss them!
 After the deadline, the judges will grab some motion sickness pills and select the best levels based on the scoring criteria below. The creator of the best level will be awarded a Crown and rare LBPC pin!

Judging criteria

Levels will be judged according to the following criteria:
 Gameplay  Here, were scoring things like fun factor, balanced difficulty and freedom from glitches and bugs.
 Originality  How innovative is your creation? How well did you take the source material to create something unique yet still have it be recognizable?
 Visuals  This is all about how good your level looks. We like detail and lighting and special effects, but try to avoid graphics-induced lag!
 Audio  Sound effects and music are a great way to turn your level into an addictive and immersive experience.

Rules and Regulations

 This contest is open to all ages and all regions. That means anyone can participate!
 All entries must be playable in LittleBigPlanet 2
 You can only enter one level. Duplicate entries will result in disqualification.
 The contest officially begins on 26th September 2012 at 12:00am GMT. Previously published entries will not be accepted.
 Levels must be published during the 10 day publishing window between 22nd and 31st October with (LBPC9) in their title. After the final deadline on 31st October, do not republish. Levels republished after the deadline will be disqualified. Exceptions may be made for quick fixes with respect to level titles, description, badges, or major game-breaking fixes, but only with the prior consent of the contest crew. If you need to request an edit, please post in this thread and send me a PM.
 Levels must be your own creation. Feel free to take inspiration from the world around you and from other levels, but dont copy someone elses work outright! Thats just not cool .
 Last but not least, have fun, play fair and respect other creators!

Also a little Handy FAQ for you all

Q: Can I have my friends play test a locked beta level before the publishing window?
A: Yes. The beta level must remain locked, and should be deleted and replaced with your official contest entry during the publishing window. Your official entry must have a publishing date within the window.

Q: Can I enter a previously published level?
A: No.

Q: Can I enter a level I already have on my moon, but hasn't yet been published?
A: Yes.

Q: Once I've published my entry, can I republish it?
A: You can republish it as many times before the deadline as you like, but not after the deadline.

Q: When will the judging begin?
A: The judges may take a look at some levels prior to the deadline, but the judging proper will not begin until after the deadline.

Q: When will the results be posted?
A: We can't really give any accurate answer to this, but it will be no more than a month after the judging begins.

Q: Does every single part of the level have to be constantly moving?
A: No. Every contraption must be moving and powered through chain reaction by one original source. We do need to constantly be able to see the chain reaction taking place, and it should appear coherent and believable.

Newly Added FAQ About Building Requirements

Q: Does everything in the level have to be physically connected?
A: No, we just need to see the cause and effect chain reaction powering the level. The way in which motion transfers between parts is entirely up to you.

Q: Can moving scenery have its own power source?
A: Yes, just make sure we can see that it's scenery and not part of the interactive mechanics.

Q: My power source is a Wobble Bolt, Winch, or Piston, and I want it to have a pause. Is that allowed?
A: Yes, a constant power source with a build in pause in fine.

Q: Can I use In/Out Movers?
A: Yes, if the movement is believable and justified by the mechanics of your level.

Q: Can I use Object and Material Tweakers to adjust weight and friction, etc?
A: Yes

Q: Can I use Emitters?
A: Yes, if they're believable. We don't want to see just plain infinite emitting, but you could for example have a container of bombs that continues to refill. Remember that we need to see the cause and effect.

Q: Can I have water in my level?
A: Yes

Q: Instead of creating my own entry, can I help a friend?
A: Yes, but only the creator who publishes the level may receive the prize.

This is a really nice idea for a level! I'm sure there will be some pretty awesome and maybe even MM-pickable concepts coming out of this. Still, it is probably the hardest concept for the contests yet. Making something that fits the judging criteria and all of the limitations specified in the rules will make this quite a hard challenge. Still, I'm so glad these contests are back! Good luck everyone! I might give it a try...

Err I think I'll more then likely pass on this contest. way to hard... and goodness it's even more limiting then LBPC1! and we basically only have one month to make which is a really complicated confusing level idea and at the same time need to do a great job at it! I Think I'll just stick to my normal levels i've been working on this past year. ohwell. :S *mew

I SOOOO want to enter this one! Question.. Are we allowed to help our friends with this? I know someone who will definitely enter this, and I kind of want to help him instead of making my own. It will be on his Earth, and any prizes that may be given to him will be his and his only, I just want to help out

I SOOOO want to enter this one! Question.. Are we allowed to help our friends with this? I know someone who will definitely enter this, and I kind of want to help him instead of making my own. It will be on his Earth, and any prizes that may be given to him will be his and his only, I just want to help out

Is that allowed?

I'm not an official judge or anything, but I don't see how working with your friend is against the rules. It's not like they're watching you anyways. If it was against the rules, what's stopping you from jumping into create with them and not crediting you to keep it secret? It's impossible to make that a rule because it's not possible to regulate.

final question can we make a sackbot be the power sorce for example run on a wheel?

let me check with the rest of the crew...

Originally Posted by Wolffy123

Oh. My. Goodness.

I SOOOO want to enter this one! Question.. Are we allowed to help our friends with this? I know someone who will definitely enter this, and I kind of want to help him instead of making my own. It will be on his Earth, and any prizes that may be given to him will be his and his only, I just want to help out

Is that allowed?

You can help out, but the level should essentially be one person's creation.
Play testing a locked beta level is a great way to help a friend before the publishing window.

Ooh, this is definitely an interesting concept. I think I might have a go at this one!

I do have one question, though; Can decorative elements (things that don't effect the gameplay at all) in the level have their own individual "power source" (motor bolt, etc.)? Like if I wanted a spinning cloud or something in the background?